For
over a decade, Vermont has been working to build a unified early care, health
and education system. Many of the requisite tools and components needed to
support such a comprehensive system have been developed, and a wide range of
effective programs for families and children exists. However, Vermont's current
early childhood service delivery system might best be described as a patchwork
of services. Overlap, inequities and fragmentation often occur.

Clarify
here why weneed an infrastructure: Recognizing the need for a
governance structure that unifies these diverse pieces, the Early Childhood
Steering Committee applied for and received an Intensive Technical Assistance
Grant from North Carolina's Smart Start program.

As the first step
in the grant process, Vermont received a customized technical assistance plan
that included a detailed assessment of Vermont's current early childhood
services and a set of recommendations to guide the design of a comprehensive,
unified system of early care, health and education services that will achieve
our vision that:

All Vermont children are healthy and successful.

The
North Carolina technical assistance team findings confirmed our own assessment
"Vermont's early childhood system might be best described as many diverse
patches, or pieces, ready to be linked and sewn together... Numerous programs
and organizations are committed and working diligently at both the state and community
level but there is often overlap, particularly at the community level, and
fragmentation as to which organization is doing what." (ITAG Report)

The
Access to Early Care, Education and Prevention Sub-Committee of the Governor's
Cabinet on Children and Youth took on a broad, thoughtful process to develop a
strategic plan for the overall coordination of our early care, health and
education system. This system will:

oAssure
equitable access to quality services for all children and families seeking them;

oMaximize
existing resources in the system;

oAlign resources with desired outcomes in a consistent, measurable
manner; and

oValidate outcomes through a formal evaluation system linked to
continuous improvement and quality assurance.

oGenerate new resources

Given
that few new resources are available at this time to support the implementation
of this new, unified system, our focus is on a redirection of some existing
funding and the creation of a state level public/private partnership that can
broaden, diversify, and increase funding, and expand ownership for the system.

The plan integrates
feedback collected from many organizations and individual stakeholders. The
plan also assimilates hundreds of hours of dialogue and discussion among
stakeholders with diverse perspectives about the benefits and challenges of a
major systems change.

The findings gathered
through the Agency of Human Services Reorganization process also substantiate
and align with parallel issues in the early care, health and education field;
e.g. the need to address service gaps and overlaps and more effective
coordination of services. These findings confine the need to design a system
that more equitably and effectively meets the needs of young children and their
families.

The
plan also supports the existing outcomes of the Vermont State Team for
Children, Families and Individuals that address young children and families. In
addition, it establishes an outcome for the system: Vermont's child
development and family support system works for children, families and
communities.

The plan components
include:

oVision,
Purpose and Mission Statements

oBuilding
the Case for Change

oDesired Outcomes for Children and Families

oDesired
Outcomes for the Early Care, Health and Education System

oPrinciples
for the Early Care, Health and Education Systems

oService Priorities

oRationale
for a Public Private Partnership

oProposed
Governance Structure

oFinance

oStaffing

oPublic
engagement

oEvaluation

oHealth

oProfessional
Development

oTimeline

Vision,Purpose and Mission Statements

Vision Statement:
All Vermont children will be healthy and ready for school.

Statement
of Purpose: Vermont will restructure the existing system of early care,
health and education in order to provide a unified, sustainable system for
children and their families, from pregnancy to school age.

Mission
Statement: All Vermont families and young children will have access to a
continuum of comprehensive, high quality early childhood programs that meet
established standards, promote school readiness, and address the needs of the
child and family.

The Case For Change

Vermont has a wide range of early childhood programs
administered through various state agencies.

There are informal
structures for the coordination of these services. Due to the lack of a formal
relationship to a state structure and inadequate infrastructure support, these
structures have not been successful in creating a unified system of early care,
health and education services for Vermont.

This has resulted
in a maze of services that is not easily understandable to families, providers,
administrators or legislators.

In this maze are excellent services as well as overlapping
and duplicative services and service gaps.

The Current Structure
Does Not:

·assure equitable access to quality services for all children and
families seeking them;

·maximize existing resources in the system;

·align resources with desired outcomes in a consistent, measurable
manner; or

·validate outcomes through a formal evaluation system linked to
continuous improvement and quality assurance.

What Do We Need To
Better Serve Our Children And Families?

·A structure that brings together all parties and assigns
responsibility for the early care, health and education system at the state and
local level.

·A clear identity for the early care, health and education system
that is consistent and easily recognizable.

·A way to broaden and diversify funding and increase ownership for
the system.

·Comprised of community based services provided in accordance with
a regional plan for early care, health and education; and

·Collaborative, fostering strong partnerships between families,
community providers, local and state agencies.

Service Priorities

While
a full range of early care, health and education services fall under the Building
Bright Futures structure, there are service areas that have been initially
targeted as a priority for funding in order to address existing gaps in
services and to direct resources to support the defined outcomes. These areas
are:

Pregnant Women and
Young Children Thrive (State Outcome #2)

·Assure access to appropriate pre-natal care and support

·Increase the number of children with access to dental care and an
established dental home.

·Increase the number of children with an established medical home.

·Expand childhood nutrition, anti-hunger, services.

Children Live in Stable, Supported
Families (State Outcome #5)

·Increase options for parent education opportunities

·Increase opportunities within the community for social
interactions among children and families, including playgroups.

·Coordinate and enhance literacy opportunities for children and
adults, including programs through local libraries.

Children are Ready
for School (State Outcome #3)

·Increase access to affordable, high-quality early learning
environments for all children.

·Increase access to quality care during non-traditional hours.

·Assure early intervention services, including comprehensive
assessment, to children with special needs.

·Increase partnerships between community-based early care and
education programs and public schools.

·Improve transportation options for families to assure access to
services.

Communities
Provide Safety and Support to Families and Individuals (State Outcome
#10)

·Increase parent and community demand for quality early care,
health and education services.

·Increase public engagement and support for families with young
children.

·Increase community investments in the early care, health and
education system.

Professional
Development & Standards

·Increase opportunities for professional development of the early
care, health and education workforce.

·Create parity in compensation based on qualifications in order to
recruit and retain a skilled and well-educated workforce.

·Support ongoing evaluation of all aspects of the early care,
health and education system.

In
order to assure children are ready for school and to increase capacity for part
and full day early care and education services, it is anticipated that the
following percentages will apply to the new funding that comes into the system:

50% -
Children are Ready for School

20% - Pregnant Women and Young Children Thrive

10% - Stable, Supported Families

10% - Safe and Supportive
Communities

10% - Professional Development &
Standards

Based on assessment of community needs, local affiliates may
request funding percentages that more closely reflect their local needs.

Rationale for the Vermont Alliance for Children

It helps children and
families by:

·Creating a widely publicized, easily understood system for early
care, health and education services known as Building Bright Futures.

·Creating easy access to services, including resource and referral
services.

·Creating affordable options for high quality early care, health
and education services that are designed flexibly to meet the various needs of
families.

·Assuring geographic and financial access for all families seeking
services.

It helps service
providers by:

·Creating a local infrastructure to assure resources and technical
assistance to providers in accordance with an agreed upon plan for the region.

·Consolidating grant and contract requirements from the state to
ease administrative burdens for providers.

·Creating capacity and consolidating administrative tasks such as
billing and bulk purchasing.

·Generating additional resources for direct services, including assisting
the community to be more competitive for private and public grant funds.

·Expanding public understanding of and support for the services
provided under Building Bright Futures.

·Addressing recruitment and retention of well-qualified staff by
promoting professional development and compensation of the workforce.

·Rewarding quality.

It helps businesses
by:

·Assuring employees have access to quality, consistent care for
their children, which in turn reduces absenteeism and increases productivity of
the workforce.

·Supports employers to assist employees in balancing work and
family responsibilities.

·Makes recruitment of employees easier.

·Enhances the overall quality of life package Vermont has to offer
in order to attract new businesses to the state.

It helps State
government by:

·Broadening the partners in meeting the needs of children and
families.

·Leveraging state investments.

·Aligning resources with results for improved outcomes for
children and families.

·Creating a process for joint budget development across agencies.

·Creating a single, yet comprehensive, mechanism for advising the
Administration and Legislature on the status and needs of the early care,
health and education system.

·Creating a stable early childhood workforce that contributes to
Vermont's economic base.

Proposed Governance
Structure

State Entity

Description:

A
public private partnership comprised of private sector providers, families,
business leaders, community members and state government decision makers.

Organizational
Structure:

A
public-private partnership established by state statute. Staffed by an
Executive Director from the private sector hired by the Board. There will be a
designated state liaison assigned to work with the Board and Executive
Director. The state entity will be an umbrella entity with local affiliates.

Composition:

The
board will be composed of 19 appointed members including:

vSecretary of the Agency of Human Services;

vChairperson of the State Board of Education;

vCommissioner of the Department for Children & Families;

vSecretary of Commerce and Community Development;

vCommissioner of Education;

vThree business representatives;

vTwo parents, with one representing families with children with
special health needs;

vTwo representatives from Vermont's regional partnerships;

vTwo representatives from the local Building Bright Futures
affiliates;

vTwo legislators, including one representative appointed by the
Speaker of the House and one senator appointed by the President Pro-Tempore;

vOne representative from Higher Education;

vTwo at-large members.

The
board shall create internal by-laws, decision-making processes and protocols.
Annually, the board shall elect from among its members a chair and a
vice-chair. The board may elect such officers as it may determine. Meetings
shall be held quarterly, or at the call of the chair or at the request of three
members. A majority of the sitting members shall constitute a quorum and action
taken by the board may be authorized by a majority of the members present.

The
board shall employ an executive director to administer, manage and direct the
affairs and business of the board. In addition, there will be a designated
state liaison assigned to work with the board and executive director to ensure
and coordinate all legislative and administrative mandates. The board may
employ technical experts and such other officers, agents and employees as are
necessary.

The
board shall establish ad hoe and standing committees to assist with ongoing
functions or to study special issues or make recommendations on matters that
come before the full board for action. These committees can include members who
are not part of the board, but a board member must chair them.

Charge and
Authority:

vAdvise the administration and legislature on the status and needs
of the early childhood system

vBe responsible and accountable for the system as a whole

vDevelop and agree upon common language for the system

vCreate and update the early care, health and education plan for
the state

vEnsure seamless services to children and their families

vDevelop standards for services and align them with desired
results/outcomes

vCoordinate existing funding streams

vPursue diverse funding to sustain and expand/enhance services

vAddress policies and regulations that pose barriers to unified
service delivery

vDevelop common data measures

vDevelop expectations for local affiliates and provide technical
assistance

vReview local affiliates' early care, health and education plans
and disburse funds in accordance with those plans

vReview and act on requests from local affiliates for waivers from
policies or regulations that impede their ability to address local priorities

Subcommittees
of the Board:

The board shall
establish sub or ad hoc committees as needed. It is expected that these
committees will address the following topic areas as they are timely to the
board's work:

vFinance
& Development

vFamily/Consumer
Participation

vProfessional
Development

vStandards/Accountability/Evaluation

vHealth
(includes Disabilities)

vPlanning/Priority
Services

vCommunity
& State Partnerships

vPublic
Engagement

The NewPublic/Private Structure:

The new Public/Private
Structure will integrate a number of existing advisory structures, networks and
early childhood entities in ways that are co-designed by the state board and
these groups in order to assure integration of individual and collective
interests. These advisory structures will likely include:

A
local entity that advocates for, coordinates and ensures the success and
accountability of community-based supports and services for all young children
and their families. They assess needs, advocate, collaborate and hold
accountability for a unified system of community-based supports, services and
resources which are necessary to ensure the optimal development of young
children, families and communities.

Organizational
Structure:

vLocal entities are affiliates of the state partnership.

v12 affiliates will be established, one in each of the AHS
regions.

vEach local affiliate will be staffed a director selected by the
local board.

Composition of
Local Affiliate Board:

Membership
of the local board should mirror the State Board composition as appropriate,
and reflect the unique needs of each region; for example, including staff from
state agencies, community mental health and local school district representatives.
AHS Field Directors and Regional Partnership Coordinators are key partners and
should be members of the local board.

Charge and
Authority:

vServe as a collaborative steering committee for services that
affect families and their young children

vServe as an advisory council, problem solving, planning and
review body for regional early care, health and education initiatives and
community grants

vAssess local needs and set local priorities

vDevelop and annually update the comprehensive regional plan for
early care, health and education services that is consistent with the defined
goals and outcomes in the state strategic plan for Vermont's early care, health
and education system

vReport needs and regional data/information to the state

vEnsure accountability with local service providers

vEnsure local services to support the defined priorities and
outcomes in the regional plan

vRecommend designation of funds to local service providers in
accordance with the regional plan

vSecure additional funding for local priorities

vProvide fiscal oversight for funds awarded from the state as well
as locally generated funding

vRepresent local entities on the State Board on a rotating basis

vRequest waivers from the State Board from policies or regulations
that impede their ability to address local priorities

Sub-Committees
of the Local Entity:

The local Board will establish sub
or ad-hoc committees as needed. It is expected that these committees will
address the following topic areas as they are timely to the board's work:

vFinance & Development

vFamily/Consumer Partnerships

vProfessional Development

vCommunity and State Partnerships

vStandards/Accountability Evaluation

vHealth (includes Disabilities)

vPlanning/Priority Services

vPublic Engagement

The local board is responsible for addressing these areas in
their regional plan. How they elect to address them, through committee work or
in other ways, is at the discretion of the local board.

The NewPublic/Private
Structure:

The new Public/Private
Structure will integrate a number of existing advisory structures, networks and
early childhood entities in ways that are co-designed by the local entity and
these groups in order to assure integration of individual and collective
interests. These advisory structures will likely include:

vEarly Childhood Councils

vSuccess by Six Advisory Committees

vRegional Family, Infant, Toddler Project Councils

vRegional Healthy Child Care Vermont Health & Safety Teams

vRegional Children's Upstream Services (CUPS) Committees

vRegional Maternal Child Health Coalitions

vRegional Community Child Care Support Advisory Groups

Finance

A primary objective
for the creation of a different structure for the coordination and management
of the early care, health and education system in Vermont is to assure adequate
and sustainable funding to support access to services for all children and
families in need of early childhood services. Based on review of funding
formulas and strategies utilized by other states and a financial mapping of the
resources currently in Vermont's early care, health and education system, the
following financial principles are recommended.

Finance Principles:

vFunding supports access for all children

vFunding is diversified using a variety of public and private
funds including fees for services and tuition paid by families

vResources must be aligned with defined outcomes

vResources must be aligned to meet the developmental needs of
children

vFunding for services to children with special needs must be
assured

vFunding formulas should be developed based on comprehensive
demographics including access to transportation

vResources are distributed and utilized in a fair and equitable
manner to assure access statewide

vParental fees for services are based on a sliding fee scale which
assures access without creating an undue financial burden for families

vResources support the system infrastructure as well as direct
services

vQuality standards and indicators are compensated

What Finance
Mapping of the Current System Tells Us:

vVermont invests significant resources in the current early care,
health and education system.

vThese
resources are aligned with outcomes for children and families, but not in a
systematic manner

vHow agencies define direct service and administrative costs and
their ability to segregate and track these expenditures varies a great deal
from agency to agency both at the state and community level

vAllowable administrative costs are not consistently defined by
state agencies awarding grants and contracts

vMore public funds are spent on children ages 3 - 5 than on
infants and toddlers

vPrivate tuition is the most significant source of revenue in the
childcare system

How will the
proposed public-private partnership impact funding?

vIt provides a structure for the development of a comprehensive
early childhood budget for aligned services from multiple state agencies and
private entities

vIt creates the structure to de-silo public funds without
de-coupling them from their state and federal requirements

vFunds will flow from the state to the community for support. of
their early care, health and education plan in a consolidated grant or contract

vReporting requirements will be consolidated into a single
format/document to ease reporting requirements

vState and local affiliates will have the capacity to generate
private funds to enhance services

How WillFunds
Flow?

vThe State Board will provide a forum for each state agency
represented to align their funding for early care, health and education with
the priority services in the state and regional plans

vA Partnership Account will be established at the state entity for
private and discretionary funds

vFunds will be awarded to local affiliates to support the services
in their local plan, which ,has been reviewed and approved by the State Board

vThe awards to the community will require a single report back to
the state that satisfies all funding entities

vLocal entities will provide fiscal reports to the state on
utilization of funds received from the state and on revenue generated locally
in order to track all resources in the system

Funding Formula
&Sliding Fee Scale:

A funding formula that takes into consideration a variety of
demographics including children and families in poverty, rural isolation,
school readiness and other social indicators will be used to allocate funds to
the local affiliates. This formula will be applied to new funds initially and
then to existing funding to gradually move toward assuring resource equity. As
fees will continue to be a component of the overall funding for the system, a
sliding fee scale will be developed as a model for use by programs. The Finance
Task Group will develop the recommended funding formula and sliding fee scale.

Staffing For
Building Bright Futures Structure:

All staff will be
employed by the state public/private partnership with the exception of the
state liaison who will be a state employee. Public funds that are currently
being used for state and community coordination of the early childhood system
will continue to be dedicated to support this function and positions under the
new structure. Local affiliate coordinators will be interviewed by and selected
by their local board but will be employed by the state public/private
partnership as the sole fiscal entity for the governance structure.

NOTE:
This is the anticipated maximum staffing required when fully implemented. Transition
to this structure will be through a gradual, phased-in approach. As experience
is gained, required staffing may be adjusted.

Estimated Costs:

Staff Costs

Executive Director
$65,000

Business/Finance Manager
$50,000

Business/Finance Specialists $40,000 x 3 $120,000

Administrative Assistant
$40,000

Administrative Support Staff $35,000 x 4 $140,000

Public Education Director
$50,000

State Liaison
$65,000

Research/Evaluation Director
$60,000

Research Specialists $45,000 x 3 $135,000

Local Affiliate Directors $45,000 x 12 $540,000

STAFF SUBTOTAL $1,265,000

Overhead/Operating
@ 30% $379,500

ESTIMATED
TOTAL $1,644,500

NOTE: An estimated
$1,000,000 is currently in the system being used for similar functions. It is
expected that private funds and in-kind support will be sought to support some
of the administrative costs. One of the major criticisms of the current system
from the community is that the infrastructure costs are not adequately
supported. These costs have been estimated to appropriately support the system
and will be phased in as the transition to the new structure progresses.

Health

A Health
Subcommittee will be established to ensure a focus and expertise on the health
services that are a cornerstone of the unified Building Bright Futures early
care, health and education system. The Subcommittee will advise the state
public/private partnership in the planning, implementation, and integration of
priority services related to the health and special health needs of young
children and their families.

The Health Subcommittee will bring
the expertise of health professionals and parents to the public/private board
and to the larger early care, health and education system. Parent input will be
primary to this group's work through Subcommittee participation and/or use of
focus groups and other means. It will also include active participation from
key health partners at the state and local levels.

Constituents represented on the Health Subcommittee
will include:

Parents

Vermont Department of Health (WIC)

Obstetrics or Nurse Midwife

American
Academy of Pediatrics - Vermont Chapter (VT - APP)

Vermont
Children's Health Improvement Project (VCHIP)

Home Health

Community
Mental Health

Head
Start/Early Head Start

Children
with Special Health Needs

Parent
to Parent of Vermont

Family, Infant & Toddler Program (Part C)

Public School Health

Nutrition

Children's
Upstream Services

Healthy Babies, Kids
& Families

Its specific
responsibilities will include:

·Assessing Vermont's maternal child health capacity to address
early childhood needs, both current and within the proposed Building Bright
Futures system;

·Identifying priority health indicators to guide resources within
the early care, health and education system;

·Proposing a health plan that includes and integrates the service
priority areas;

·Outcomes monitoring; and

·Creating a detailed health prevention and promotion plan,
including a plan for outcome evaluation, to advise the work and decisions of
the state public/private board.

Public Engagement

In
order for the early care, health and education system to be a high quality, sustainable
system in Vermont, the public must recognize the value of the services provided
by the system. The Public Engagement Coordinating Committee (PECC) was formed in
May of 2003. The mission of the Public Engagement Coordinating Committee is to
develop a unified message and coordinated voice, and approaches by which this message
and related strategies can be carried to the local and state level. Public
engagement is defined as public education, media relations, leadership
development, and grassroots involvement and action activities that build
political will in Vermont for a unified, well funded early childhood system.

Goals of the
Public Engagement Action Plan include:

Create public
awareness of the importance of children's early years for Vermont's future

Motivate and
inspire Vermonters to take action in support of Vermont's comprehensive and
unified system of services for young children and their families

Create
an ongoing mechanism for effectively presenting a unified voice and
coordinating efforts in support of early childhood care, health and education,
and to serve as a sustainable vehicle for planning, coordinating, implementing
and soliciting feedback on public engagement efforts.

Key Messages:

Investing
in children assures strong communities and benefits all Vermont's citizens Building
Bright Futures is the system that coordinates and supports children's care,
health and education throughout Vermont

Building Bright Futures helps Vermont's children and
their families to be successful by providing high-quality care, health and
education

Building Bright Futures lays the foundation for
children's success in school by promoting high-quality care, health and
education

Building
Bright Futures makes a strong Vermont economy possible by stimulating
economic development, increasing worker productivity, and building the skills
of the future workforce

Evaluation

Real
and substantive evaluation of the early care, health and education system is a
core component of the Building Bright Futures: Vermont's Alliance for
Children structure. Evaluations of the effectiveness of the direct services as
well as of the system infrastructure are equally important. The evaluation
plan's essential purpose is to: (a) test the system - ensure that it works in a
timely and adequate manner; (b) identify where changes may be necessary; (c)
measure accountability, efficiency and efficacy of the system; and (d) provide
decision makers and stakeholders with data and reports that will support their
abilities to make the best decisions possible for the children and families of
Vermont. The section below outlines the key points in the Evaluation Task
Group's Evaluation Plan.

Core Principles:

·The evaluation plan is relevant and useful to stakeholders

·The plan focuses on a small set of indicators - using currently
collected data and standardizing data collection

·It creates a monitoring and reporting system that allows
continuous feedback and focus on quality improvement

·An independent and credible evaluation team reviews and evaluates
the plan on an ongoing basis

Organizational
Structure includes:

Centralized
oversight

Coordination
with regions/local affiliates

Builds on
current evaluation programs and efforts

Coordinates
with MIS systems

Advisory
Board / Committee

Protects
the confidentiality of participants and data

Provides
needed reports

Is
adequately funded and supported

Components of
Evaluation Plan

·Logic Model - Framework based on the long term outcomes outlined
on page 4

·Structural Equation Model

·Stakeholder Study

·Cost Benefit Analysis

Professional Development

Professional
development and training are key components of the infrastructure necessary to
ensure that services provided through the early care, health and education
system in Vermont are of high quality and effective in achieving desired outcomes.
The Professional Preparation and Development Committee (PPD), formed after the
first Early Childhood Workgroup session in 1992, has worked on a statewide
level to coordinate professional development and training activities spanning
entry-level workshops to higher education teacher preparation programs. It has
also developed products that support career and professional development
planning for the early childhood and school age care workforce. This work is
aligned with the Building Bright Futures system goals and will be a
sub-committee of the state public /private partnership.

In
recent years, the PPD committee focused its efforts on establishing a statewide
professional and career development system, named Northern Lights. A
coordinated system of career and professional development is defined as
integrated components that assure a skilled and educated

workforce; provide a
continuum of educational and career options; and guarantee accessible,
consistent and high quality opportunities statewide. Components of the Northern
Lights system are: a clearly articulated career pathway; competency based
core knowledge training and continuing education; quality assurance systems for
training and instructors; partnerships with higher education; credentialing; and
career advising.

Goals of the
Professional Preparation and Development Committee include:

·Select a contractor to design and implementthe Northern
Lights Career Development Center;

·Develop competencies for early childhood and school age care
professionals based on Northern Lights Core Knowledge;

·Support efforts to increase the qualifications of the early
childhood workforce by increasing access to credit-bearing coursework and programs
leading to four-year degrees and teacher licensure;

·Develop state-awarded credentials in infant-toddler, mental
health, school age care and early care and education administration.

The work of the PPD
committee relies on effective partnerships among providers and recipients of
professional development and training that cross traditional program
boundaries, i.e., child care, public education, Head Start, higher education,
health and mental health.

Timeline

January - March
31,

04

Develop a plan
for Outreach and Education Activities that includes community meetings